Black youth react to Trayvon Martin tragedy

Kenneth Herrera, a 17-year-old student at the Bronx Academy of Letters in  New York, in the library. Thursday, March 22, 2012. (theGrio/Donovan X. Ramsey)

Written for theGrio.com

The death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has saturated media coverage in recent days, with some commentators calling it a case of a modern-day Emmett Till. Details have emerged that suggest his shooter, George Zimmerman, may have been motivated by racial stereotypes of young black men.

The debate over black male stereotypes, which has endured throughout America's troubled racial history, often resurfaces when events like Trayvon's death occur. While we still don't know all the details about what occurred that fateful night when Zimmerman and Trayvon's paths crossed, the tragic result of their encounter is felt by many black teens today.

"I kinda feel threatened too. Like what if this happens to me?," said Kenneth Herrera, a 17-year-old student at the Bronx Academy of Letters in New York. Kenneth explained how Trayvon's death struck him as "pure racism."

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